We often face circumstances that we cannot change—a job we are forced to keep, a relationship that did not work out, a decision we cannot take back. The stress of life can overwhelm us, and we may not see past the obstacles in our path. In the face of unwanted challenges, we may despair over our lack of control and long for an easier way out.

Laurie Short offers a simple but revolutionary idea: change nothing that is around you yet still change everything about your life. With the help of four different lenses, Laurie shows how the way you see can have an impact on how you live. If you put on the right lenses, you can reframe whatever comes your way and embrace both the good and the bad, recognizing that every detail of your life is fully in God's sovereign hands.

Jesus indicates the power of focus when he says, "The eye is the lamp of the body, if the eye is good then the whole body will be full of light."

It's the easiest way to find lasting meaning and purpose. Change nothing, but see differently. Your perspective has more power than you think to determine the course of your life.

"Dallas Willard used to say that eternity is already in session. Laurie Short has written an elegant invitation to live life from inside eternity rather than on the outside."

John Ortberg, senior pastor, Menlo Church

"The true stories Laurie uses throughout this book make its message impossible to ignore. If you need your world rocked by new eyes for your current circumstances, then you need this book."

Lisa Anderson, director of Boundless, author of The Dating Manifesto

"The flourishing of our lives depends so much not only on what, but how we see. In When Changing Nothing Changes Everything, Laurie Short has offered us a concise, accessible guidebook that provides not only helpful instruction but—more importantly—hope for how a proper vision of the life we have can lead to the very world of goodness and beauty for which we long so deeply. Read this book—and see your life change before your very eyes."

Curt Thompson, author of The Soul of Shame and Anatomy of the Soul

"Abraham Herschel said that 'we must learn to be surprised.' Sometimes we grow so numb to how things are that we miss how things were meant to be. We lose the surprise. We lose the mystery. Laurie Short captures this idea through story beautifully and calls us to find ourselves surprised again, helping us to change everything by reframing the world we see."

"I used to think changing perspective was a cop-out for not changing, but what Laurie is proposing—reframing the drama of your life—is actually the way to live fully in God's reality, which is something far bigger than our seasonal drama. I've seen how that really does change everything!"

John Burke, pastor of Gateway Church, author of Imagine Heaven

"Laurie Short has written a powerful and empowering book. She's proven why perspective matters, but even deeper, she's shown us we have control over the aperture of our lives. And who doesn't need a new lens on life?"

Nicole Johnson, founder of the nonprofit organization Seasons Weekend (formerly a part of Women of Faith), author of Creating Calm in the Center of Crazy

"What matters most to me about Laurie Short's book is that it seeks to be honest and faithful both to the Bible and to the experience of being human. This is the converging power and insight Short offers us, and it's why we need to hear her."

Mark Labberton, president, Fuller Theological Seminary

"Laurie Short offers gracious and helpful insights that challenge us to greater self-awareness and deeper discipleship by suggesting we view our circumstances through alternate lenses. By reminding us about the power of our perspective, she holds out words of hope and help for the moments when life throws too much pain or challenge in our path. This is a great book for anyone who struggles to meet life's challenges—which is all of us!"

Meagan Gillan, director of women ministries, The Evangelical Covenant Church

"When Changing Nothing Changes Everything speaks to the power of our own stories, and specifically to the way in which we remember, tell, and live them out. Laurie's call—to be a part of the bigger story—is a reminder of what's so vital and important in life."

Andrea Gurney, associate professor of psychology, Westmont College

"This isn't a book about rosy glasses, says the author. It's about reframing and refocusing what you see in life in a different way. Polich Short presents four lenses: The big view lens, which helps you see your life from a broader perspective; the present view, which helps you see what you might be missing now; the rear view, a lens that will give you insight on how you are wired; and the higher view lens, which will reveal more of what God wants you to see. . . . Recommended to serious Christian readers."

Michelle Lovato, Christian Market, May 2017

"When Changing Nothing Changes Everything ends with an invitation to begin a life of reflection. Short assures that by re-viewing your life, happiness and fulfillment are attainable even in difficult and unchangeable circumstances."

You May Also Like

You May Also Like

Laurie Polich Short is a speaker, an author, and associate pastor of Oceanhills Covenant Church in Santa Barbara, California. She is the author of Finding Faith in the Dark: When the Story of Your Life Takes a Turn You Didn't Plan as well as thirteen books for youth and youth workers. She has spoken to more than 500,000 people at youth conferences, women's conferences, denominational gatherings, colleges, and churches around the country. Laurie has been in ministry for thirty years, and has served on staff at four churches. She is a featured speaker with Compassion International and was on the speaking staff of Youth Specialties for fifteen years. She is a graduate of UCLA and Fuller Theological Seminary, and lives in Santa Barbara with her husband, Jere, and stepson.